Chardonnay 2024

Wine description for Chardonnay 2024 by Klaus Vorgrimmler

Klaus and Maj Britt Vorgrimmler cultivate a mere 3.2 hectares at the southern tip of the Tuniberg near Freiburg – and this Chardonnay shows why such small estates often bottle the most exciting wines. The 2024 vintage bears the signature of a winemaker who has farmed organically since 1985 and biodynamically since 2006, and who gives his wines time and peace rather than trying to direct them.

Colour & appearance

Cloudy golden yellow with delicate legs on the rim of the glass – the unadorned, natural appearance of a wine that indulges in no cosmetics.

Nose

Fine fruit meets masterful use of wood: orange, lemon and lemon zest combine with ripe quince, subtle smoky hints, crusty baguette, roasted hazelnuts and white nougat. Juicy, powerful, invitingly complex.

Palate

Refreshing and intense, with distinct fruit sweetness and a spicy foundation. A white wine with power and expression that does not pander but reveals clear contours – and it carries its 13 per cent alcohol effortlessly.

Finish

Long and full of tension, with lingering citrus fruit and a fine roasted note.

Terroir & origin

The vines are rooted in fertile loess soil at the sun-drenched southern tip of the Tuniberg near Freiburg. Alfalfa, buckwheat and clover grow between the rows, and the work in the vineyard follows Maria Thun’s lunar phases – there is a constant hum and buzz all year round.

Grape variety & vinification

Hand-harvested Chardonnay grapes, gently pressed over four to five hours, spontaneously fermented in stainless steel. The wine rests on its gross lees without any sulphur addition, is coarsely filtered once in spring and bottled with a minimal amount of sulphur – without fining, without any further additives.

Food recommendations

The power of this wine calls for intense cuisine: veal piccata with lemon-sage butter, autumn mushroom risotto, baked goat’s cheese or chicken in a white wine cream sauce are convincing answers.

Special features

Certified organic from a demonstration estate of the Federal Ministry: wild yeasts, minimal intervention and a vintage that shows what genuinely committed biodynamic work tastes like in the glass – cloudy, honest, alive.

If you only know Chardonnay from Burgundy, you should try this Baden answer – and perhaps drink it with the thought in mind that vineyard walks on the Tuniberg are even offered in English.